Retirement List and Stampin' Up! Sale has ended ... but don't be sad...

Just to let you all know that the Stampin' Up! sale has now ended...

Don't be too sad, because .... tomorrow we launch the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue!!

BE EXCITED! It's full of the most amazing Stampsets, Ribbons, Cardstock, Ink and Pens, Designer Paper, Fabric, Punches, Big Shot Dies and more!!!!

I'll pop the new catalogue on as soon as i can tomorrow morning for you to view online!

And i'll be taking orders straight away!!! Email them through: amyjtidd@gmail.com

Last Chance! Stampin' Up! Retirement Sale ENDS TODAY!

DON'T FORGET! THE STAMPIN' UP! RETIREMENT SALE ENDS TODAY!

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET AN ORDER IN. EMAIL: amyjtidd@gmail.com

One of the stampsets that is very sadly retiring is 'Fun and Fast Notes', i'm so sad it's going, BUT don't you worry there is a replacement set which is just as good!

Here's a final 'Fun and Fast Note' card just for you:



I've stamped this cute little bird and sentiment using 'Basic Black' ink, and i've used my 'Stampin' Write Markers' to colour him in. I mounted this image onto 'Real Red' and then 'Daffodil Delight' cardstock.

The cardbase is 'Daffodil Delight', i ran a strip of retiring 'DSP' down the centre. It has a piece of 'Real Red' 'Satin Ribbon' wrapped around it. I used some 'Dimensionals' to stick the mounted bird image onto the cardbase!

It's not too late to get your hands on these retiring stampsets and 'DSP'. Get your order in today. Email me your order (with your contact details, just in case i need to get in touch with your quickly). My email is: amyjtidd@gmail.com

Don't regret missing out on all these lovely goodies!!

Retiring DSP

Hi guys, just a quick post today to remind you that the 'DSP' from the current catalogue will be retiring in a few days - so if you want to order any you need to get your order in NOW!! Today i have a quick idea to share with you, something you could make from some strips of 'DSP', some lovely bookmarks and the great thing is that they literally take minutes to make:

All you do cut strips of 'DSP' (in this case 'Greenhouse Gala DSP') and then punch out of some coordinating cardstock (in this case 'Early Espresso') using the 'Round Tab Punch'. and glue it to one end of the 'DSP' strip. Punch a hole through the card tab using a 'Crop-a-Dile' and finally thread some 'Satin Ribbon (or any ribbon that you have) through the hole. (in this vase i used 'Early Espresso' 'Satin Ribbon')

And there you go some lovely 'DSP' bookmarks - i'm planning on making lots of these to give as gifts at my New Catalogue Craft Open House - on the 22nd October. If you live local to me and fancy coming along to this FREE event drop me an email: amyjtidd@gmail.com

And don't forget - get those last minute retiring order in ASAP - time is running out!!!

If you go down to the woods today...

Here's my entry to this weeks Cupcake Craft Challenge. The theme this week is 'If you go down to the woods today...' and basically you have to create a card featuring a teddybear!

My friend Ruth is completely into punch-art (cards created using paper punches) and she has got me hooked aswell! I saw a version of this cute teddybear on Julies website (i had to vary it a little bit because i didn't have a couple of the punches she used) but i'm still very pleased with the final result!

This cute little bear has been made from 'Soft Suede' cardstock. His body has been made from the '1-3/4" Circle Punch', his head from the '1-3/8" punch, his arms from the 'Heart Punch' with i have cut in half and then rounded off the round edge of the heart with the 'Corner Rounder' to make them thinner. His feet are made from a '1/2" Circle Punch' and i have used the '1/4" Circle punch to create his ears and his paws (from Pretty in Pink cardstock). His inner ears have been made using the 'Owl Punch' (the little circles that usually create the owls eyes) I also used the small heart from the 'Owl Punch' to create the bears nose. Before constructing the bear i used a 'Sponge Dauber' with some 'Soft Suede' ink to give some texture.

I placed the bear on some 'DSP' from the (soon retiring) 'Nursery Suite' collection and mounted it onto a 'Pretty in Pink' cardbase.

I popped a 'Welcome Baby' sentiment (from the 'Something to Celebrate' stampset) inside the card. Cute hey?! I'm a bit addicted to punch-art now - so keep checking back on this blog to see more!!!

Every Little Bit!

Ok, so Monday is over, the rest of the week should be plain sailing! Today i have a lovely card to show you created by a crafty Stampin' Up! pal of mine Jade! She gave me this card at a recent training event, and it features the stampset 'Every Little Bit' - WHICH WILL BE IN THE NEW CATTY! Now, this is a stampset that i have completely and utterly overlooked, but Jade has made some beautiful creations with this set! So here's her creation:

She has used 'Pumpkin Pie' and 'Tangerine Tango' DSP from the 'Brights Stack' for the panels which she have then mounted on 'Crumb Cake' cardstock. She stamped the little dog and cat from the 'Every Little Bit' stampset and coloured them in using a 'Chocolate chip' 'Stampin' Write Marker'. She carfully snipped them out and raised them using 'Dimenstionals'. Jade embellished the with a flower (punched using the 'Boho Blossom Punch', with a 'Basic Pearl' placed in the centre and some of the leaves from the 'Two-Step Bird Punch'.  All of this was arranged onto the 'Whisper White' cardbase. the 'amour' sentiment is from the 'Clearly For You' set and Jade also used the 'n' from the 'no 5' stamp fromt he 'Clearly For You' set in the top righthand corner. Such a lovely original card, i'm sure you'll agree!!

My Card Tote!

Hi all, i have been working on this craft project for a couple of days on and off, and really very excited to share it with you. I have made a card tote (using an amazing tutorial brought from Lynda - an Australian SU demo).

OK, I'm not going to lie - this project was pretty fiddly and took me several hours to create, but now i know how it's all done i'm pretty confident that i could make it much quicker the second time around!! I made the tote using completely Stampin' Up! materials. The great thing about using SU materials is that they all coordinate!! The 'DSP' used is from the sadly retiring 'Love Letters DSP collection', i used quartered '1-3/4" Circles' cut from 'Early Espresso' card to decorate the corners, coordinating 'Satin Ribbon' for the handles and the 'Just Perfect Alphabet' stampset to stamp 'cards' on the front!

Here's a side view of the card tote:

The tote is tied up with 'Grosgrain Ribbon' and here is the tote opened wide:

You'll notice that i have made monthly dividers so i can get organised and store birthday, valentine, anniversary and any other cards in their correct place! (I have used 'Red Riding Hood' cardstock to coordinate with the 'Love Letters DSP' to create the accordian sides and the dividers.

Along with Lynda's tutorial she also supplied me with monthly calender templates! So i printed them off on 'Very Vanilla' cardstock and mounted them onto the 'Red Riding Hood' dividers. I punched some tabs out of 'Red Riding Hood' card, using the 'Round Tab Punch' and used the 'Just Perfect Alphabet' stampset to stamp the months on the tabs (in 'Early Espresso' ink.)

I slightly altered Lyndas tutorial - but overall i couldn't have made this without her detailed tutorial notes! I'm planning on making a few more of these to give away as christmas gifts, i just love the way these have turned out!

I'm planning on running a craft class on how to make these lovely totes, so watch this space ... details to follow!!

Happy Birthday Iwona!

Yesterday was my friend Iwona's birthday! I hope she had a lovely day! We went out last night for a few drinks!! I couldn't resist making her a birthday card. She has such a bright and cheery character, so i couldn't resist making her a bright and cheery card:

I have used the stunningly bright 'Daffodil Delight' cardstock for this cardbase. I then cut a strip of 'Daffodil Delight' for the centre of the card and then used the 'Eyelet Border Punch' on both sides of this strip of card and glued this into place. I then cut a thinner strip of 'Play Date DSP' and glued that in the centre if the 'Daffodil Delight' strip.

I punched out three flowers using the 'Fancy Flower Punch': one from 'Pacific Point' cardstock, one from 'Daffodil Delight' 'DSP' and one from 'Real Red' 'DSP', both from the 'Brights DSP Stack'.  I layered all three of these and secured them in placed with 'Red Sticky Tape'. I placed a 'Daffodil Delight' 'Designer Button' (with some 'Linen Thread' tied in a bow) onto the centre of the flowers, secured again with some 'Red Sticky Tape'.

The 'Happy Birthday' sentiment comes from the 'Something to Celebrate' stampset and was inked in 'Pacific Point'.

I hope Iwona liked her card and had an amazing birthday!!!

The Cat In The Hat!

I'm a complete and utter fan of Dr Seuss. books, especially The Cat In The Hat! So much so that i dragged my hubby onto the ride whilst in Florida a few years back, despite the fact that we was the only adults on there!! Lots of fun!!

The Daring Cardmakers set a nee challenge this morning, and you guessed it ... Dr. Seuss theme: 'Green Eggs and Ham', i just HAD to make a card. So here it is:

I knew exactly what 'Cat in the Hat' rhyme i wanted to use as it's been a bit of a mantra to me: 'Be who you are because those who don't mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind'. I typed it into Google to just double check the wording and unbelievably found this image, with the quote on Google Images. I printed it out onto some 'Whisper White' cardstock, and then ran it through my 'Big Shot', using my 'Top Note Die'.

The cardbase is simply 'Whisper White', with some 2.5cm strips of 'Real Red' card, to create the Cats Hat! I raised The Cat in the Hat 'Top Note' on the cardbase using Stampin' Up! 'Dimensionals' and then finished the card off with a 'Real Red' 'Satin Ribbon' bow. (I used my 'Paper Snips' to shape the edge of the ribbon.)

I just love this card and hope everyone at 'Daring Cardmakers' does too!

Hannahs Birthday Gift!

Yesterday was my friend Hannahs birthday. I posted the card i made for her in yesterdays post and today i want to show you how i wrapped her (crafty) birthday present!!

Stampin' Up! deliver all their crafty goodies in massive cardboard boxes with huge amounts of brown paper! Well it seems such a waste to just pop it into the recycling bin, so i have folded it all up and kept it safe to use it as wrapping paper! (This was originally Hannahs idea, so it seemed fitting that i would use this paper to wrap up her pressie!)

I started off with the brown paper and randomly stamped the 'All in a Flutter' butterfly stamp all over the brown paper using 'Melon Mambo' and 'Rich Razzleberry' ink. The gift tag is made from 'Crumb Cake' cardstock, i have stamped the 'All in a Flutter' butterfly on the front (again using 'Rich Razzleberry' ink) and i then placed some 'Basic Pearls' to create a 3D butterfly body! The 'Happy birthday wishes' sentiment is from the (sadly retiring) 'Fun and Fast Notes' stampset (inked in 'Melon Mambo').

 I punched a hole in the corner of the gift tag using my trusty 'Crop-a-dile' and then threaded the 'Melon Mambo' 'Grosgrain Ribbon' through the hole and wrapped up the present!! Hannah seamed very happy with her crafty gift, she is off out for a yummy meal tonight, so i hope she has a great night tonight and a fab weekend of celebrations!!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Today is my friend Hannahs birthday! I have completely turned her to the darkside of crafting and i know that she will totally appriciate a handmade card! So here is the card i made her:

I've seen lots of cards of this style before but i haven't actually made one until now! The card base i used was 'Crumb Cake', it bgan life as a neat rectangle and then using my 'Paper Cutter' i trimmed it on a diagonal, and then scored it twice and then folded it one way and then the other, to create a concertina effect. I used some of the beautiful 'Springtime Vintage DSP and cut them to the right size to create the panels. Before gluing down the first panel i wrapped some of the lovely 'Rose Red' 'Seaming Ribbon' around it and then created a pretty big bow!

Here's the card in its unfolded form:

I cut a rectangle of 'Rose Red' cardstock and used my 'Eyelet Border' on one edge. I then mounted a secound rectangle of 'Very Vanilla' on top, with a 'Happy Birthday' sentiment (inked in 'Rose Red') from the 'Something to Celebrate' stampset.

Such a pretty card, this 'DSP' is so beautiful and it is such a shame that it is retiring at the end of the month. Make sure you get an order in before it's too late: amyjtidd@gmail.com

I hope Hannah likes her card and has a very happy birthday!!

A crafty make-over of my teacher planner!

Term began last week and teaching is well underway! A week and a half in, just getting use to all my new classes and slowly learning all the new names! It's all fun! I love the standing up in front of the class and teaching, but the planning can be such a drag, so i thought i'd give my planner a crafty makeover to make it slightly more bearable!! Here's the before shot:

Quite plain and dull - i think you would agree!! And here it is after its makeover:

I'm not claiming this took forever, it really didn't - quite literally 5 minutes!! I cut a beautiful piece of 'Springtime Vintage DSP' to A4 size. I love this paper - with it's big bold design, it is perfect for covering notebooks!! I glued this paper onto the blue planner cover. I then cut little snippets of 'Pear Pizzazz', 'Rose Red' and 'Baja Breeze' 'Seaming Ribbon' and tied them around the spirals of my planner! Isn't it lovely! I've already had lots of compliments from other teaching staff at my work ... and it does make planning just that little bit more bearable!!

Now don't forget, all the 'DSP' out of the current catalogue (including 'Springtime Vintage DSP') is retiring at the end of this month - so  you really don't have a lot of time to stock up on your favourite DSP's before they're gone for good. Email me to make your order: amyjtidd@gmail.com

I've entered this project into a fewchallenges:
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Add a bow
Lollipop Crafts Challenge - Anything but a card
Quirky Crafts Challenge - Anything but a card

Congratulations Dan and Jade!

So many of my friends and family members are at the marriage and baby stage of their life!! It's so exciting and great for my crafting as i get to make lots and lots of cards!!

My cousin, Daniel recently got engaged to his girlfriend Jade! It's lovely, he is so happy and i couldn't wait to crack open my craft gear and make them a card! Here it is:

The cardbase that i used is 'Very Vanilla'. I have used three different sheets of 'DSP' all from the 'Lap of Luxury' collection - a beautiful set of papers that use the following colours: 'Very Vanilla', 'Pretty in Pink', Concord Crush' and 'Basic Gray'. These papers are completely stunning, but sadly retiring at the end of the month - so ensure you don't miss out - get an order in today!

So here is how i made the card: first i cut two strips of 'Lap of Luxury DSP', one slightly wider than the other and then layered them up and glued them along the centre of the card. Next i ran another piece of 'DSP' through my 'Big Shot' using the 'Top Note Die' and glued that in the centre of the card. I punched two birds out of 'Very Vanilla' card, using the 'Two-Step Bird Punch', and positioned them looking at one another! I then used the 'Bird Punch' to punch out some wings from the same 'DSP' i used on the backing strip and punched two branches from the other 'DSP', again using the 'Bird Punch'. Two little 'Basic Pearls' are placed on the birds to create their eyes. To complete this card, i punched a small heart out of coordinating 'DSP' using the 'Heart to Heart Punch'.

I used a lovely stamp from the 'Occasional Quote' stampset in the centre of the card: 'Love begins in a MOMENT, grows over TIME, and lasts an ETERNITY.' a perfect sentiment for an engagement card - don't you think!!!

(I've entered this card into the 'Oh la la Creations Challenge Blog', the theme to follow this week is 'Punches/Dies', the 'Cardmakinmamas blog, which has a 'Punches' theme and 'Cute Card Thursday' - anything goes.)

Crafty Boots Challenge: Things With Wings

Hello everyone!! Today the 2nd Crafty Boots Challenge was launched - this fortnights theme is 'Things with Wings', so make sure you get involved. We was completely overwhelmed by the amount of crafters that got involved in the first challenge - so thankyou to everyone who offered their support!

The design team have done a fantastic job with all their projects, i love working with such a talented team! Here is my offering to the challenge, a cute little folding book - made completely of Stampin' Up! products of course!! I used 'Blushing Bride' and 'Whisper White' cardstock, 'Blushing Bride' 'DSP' (A current level 1 hostess prize), the retiring 'Strength and Hope' stampset and my trusty punches: '1-3/8" Circle', '1-1/4" Circle' and the 'Eyelet Border Punch' and the centre of the butterfly is all blinged up with some 'Basic Rhinestones'. So here it is:

Folding Book (all closed up):

Unfolded:

And in its completely open form:

All thats left to do is pop a couple of lovely photos and maybe a message and you have a lovely homemade gift for a friend of loved one!!

If you absolutely love the butterfly (from the 'Strength and Hope' stampset) you need to get a wiggle on and make a Stampin' Up! order because it is retiring at the end of September. Check out the Stampin' Up! sale and retirement list at the top of my blog - i'm offering an exclusive offer for all CraftyThINKer customers - an additional Stampin' Up! stampset with all orders over £45 during the month of September!! How can you resist?! Just email your order over to amyjtidd@gmail.com (Electronic versions of the catalogues are available on the right-hand side of my blog!)

Happy Crafting - Can't wait to see all you 'Things with Wings' creations!!

Happy Birthday Jean! (A 'Springtime Vintage' Card)

Hi guys! Hope you're having a brilliant weekend! I've just got back from a lovely lunch at a local hotel - where we had a massive carvery!! I'm completely stuffed now and can barely move! We went out to celebrate my Nan-in-law's birthday! Before i head off for a lazy afternoon nap i thought i'd post the birthday card that i made for Jean, which i CASEd from the Hautocraft blog, using the beautiful (but sadly retiring) 'Springtime Vintage DSP':

The cardbase is 'Crumb Cake' 5"x5". The 'Rose Red' card used in this card is 4.5"x4.5". I have chopped up lots of 1 inch squares of 'Springtime Vintage DSP' and then arranged them into a 4"x4" square arrangement. I stamped the 'Happy Birthday' sentiment is from the 'Something to Celebrate' hostess stampset. It was stamped in 'Rose Red' ink onto a rectangle of 'Crumb Cake' card and then 'Sponge Daubed' the 'Rose Red' ink around the edges. This is such a lovely card and could obviously be made from any of the beautiful 'DSP' collections Stampin' Up! have to offer! Finally i tied some of the beautiful 'Rose Red' 'Seaming Ribbon' into a bow!

Don't miss out on the lovely 'Springtime Vintage DSP' - IT WILL NOT BE CONTINUING INTO THE NEW CATALOGUE. So if you want to get your crafty paws on some you will have to order it by the end of September. Here is a close up of what these stunningly vintage 12x12 papers look like:

Don't delay - order today: amyjtidd@gmail.com 

Tealight Delight! WITH a Tealight Tutorial

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a fab weekend. I've had a really chilled out day today. Popped into town with my sister to do a spot of shopping and have some lunch and then managed to squeeze in a spot of crafting!!

It was my Husbands Nans birthday on Thursday and we're actually meeting up with his family tomorrow to go out for a meal and celebrate. I brought her lots of lovely things today but also thought i'd make her a gift. I've had this idea for a while so thought i'd try it out. You start off with a plain and simple tealight:

And then punch out a '1-3/8" Circle' from your favourite 'DSP' (I used the beautiful (but sadly retiring 'Springtime Vintage DSP') and punch a smaller hole in the centre using your trusy 'Crop-a-dile':

Then you've guessed it, slip the 'DSP' over the wick:

There is no need to stick these 'DSP' circles down - and of course you must tell your recipients to remove the paper circle before lighting!!

I made six of these pretty tealights and then packaged them up:

I popped the tealights into a 'Cellophane Bag' and sealed it up. Ran a piece of 'Pretty in Pink' cardstock through the 'Big Shot' using the 'Top Note Die' and folded in half length ways. Cut a 3cm wide strip of 'Very Vanilla' card stock, and then layed a 2cm wide strip of 'Springtime Vintage DSP' over top. Punched out a 'Rose Red' tag, using the 'Extra Large Tag Punch' and a 'Very Vanilla' tag using the 'Large Tag Punch'. On the 'Very Vanilla' tag i stamped 'best wishes' (in 'Rose Red' ink) from the 'Silohouette Sentiment' stampset. I punched a hole out of the tag using my 'Crop-a-dile' and ran some 'Rose Red' 'Seaming Ribbon' through it. I tied the tag around the 'Very Vanilla'/'DSP' strip and then stuck it all down using some 'Sticky Red Tape'... and there you go a lovely little gift!! It came out even better than i expected!! I'm definately going to be making lots of these to give as christmas gifts!!

I'm entering this project into the 'Daring Cardmakers' challenge - which this week is 'How Many Candles? I know it's not a card, but hopefully the'll appriciate it anyway!They are sponsored this week by 'Funky Hand'.

French Foilage

Hi all! IT'S FRIDAY! and i'm so please it's the weekend - i have had such a hectic week at work and have just completed my first full week of teaching - phew i'm tired and already counting down til the halfterm!! I've been so busy at work i have hardly had any time for crafting but fortunately for you Crafty ThINKers i have been storing away a couple of beautiful crafty projects that some of my crafty Stampin' Up! pals created at a recent training event just in case this situation arose! So today i have a beautiful autumnal card to share with you, create by Diane:

She started with a 'Pumpkin Pie' base and stamped the large leaf stamp (also in 'Pumpkin Pie') from the 'French Foilage' stampset (from the mini catalogue') The sentiment is from the 'Sincere Salutations' stampset and she has run some 'Pear Pizzazz' 'Seaming Ribbon' around the card.

The window image has been created from the variety of stamps in the 'French Foilage' set, Diane randomly stamped them over a large piece of 'Whisper White', creating what is known as a 'one sheet wonder' before cutting the sheet up into small squares and layering them onto a piece of 'Bravo Burgandy'.

I think you'll agree with is a beautiful card with a great layout! It's lovely being part of the 'Blue Angels' Stampin' Up! team, you get to meet lots of crafty people and share ideas! If you'd like details on how to become a Stampin' Up! demo drop me an email: amyjtidd@gmail.com

ALSO DON'T FORGET: Time is running out to purchase items from the retirement list - if there is something on there you desperately want you need to get your order in soon, before it's too late - once its gone its gone!

Have a fabulous weekend - i'm hoping for a restful one and maybe even squeezing in some crafting! We'll see!!

Pips Dasher Swap

Today i have a card created by a new Stampin' Up! pal - Pip. She made a batch of these beautiful christmas cards to swap at a recent training event - aren't they lovely?!

Using a some 'Bashful Blue' ink and her brayer, Pip created a stunning snowy effect onto some 'Whisper White' card. She stamped the beautiful 'Dasher' stamp into the centre of the card. The beautiful sentiment is from the 'Heard From The Heart' stampset.

This is the perfect card to create in large quantities for your christmas cards, so why not book a christmas workshop, where i come around to your house and teach you and your friends and family how to make this stunning card (or something similar) I have workshop dates available in October and November, email me for details: amyjtidd@gmail.com

Enjoy Your First Day At School!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope you are all having a good week! Today i have a card to share with you that i made for a special little friend of mine! My friends son - Jack, starts school today! I couldn't resist making him a card to wish him luck!

I began with a 'Whisper White' rectangle of cardstock and stamped out this cute little boy and the two cats using stamps from the 'All in the Family' set. (I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to line them up just perfectly!!) and the i coloured them in using my 'Stampin' Write Markers'. The boy is meant to be Jack - i coloured his clothes in to match his new school uniform! The two cats represent my lovely cats - Jack is completely obsessed my cats (Dewey and Crazy) so i thought i'd feature them in this card! I wrote the sentiment by hand using my 'Real Red' 'stampin' Write Marker'. I mounted this onto a piece of 'Pacific Point' card, then layered this onto a piece of 'DSP' from the 'Celebrations' collection. All of this placed onto a 'Pacific Point' cardbase.

I hope Jack has a lovely first day at school! I can't wait to hear all about it!!

(I'm entering this into the Cupcake Craft Challenge - this week the theme is 'Back to School!)

Jades Corner Bookmark

It's Tuesday - only four more working days until the weekend - not that i'm counting!! We're back to the usual teaching routine and it's all very tiring!! I've been really busy planning lessons and haven't had a great deal of time to craft this week. Fortunately i still have a couple of lovely projects created by the Stampin' Up! team i belong to. Today i have a lovely corner bookmark created by a new crafty friend of mine Jade - check out her wonderful Stampin' Up! website: The Jaded Crafter.

Jade created this with 'Tempting Turquoise' and 'Whisper White' cardstock, as well as some 'Daffodil Delight DSP'. Jade ran the 'Whisper White' cardstock through her 'Big Shot' using the 'Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder' and edged the bookmark off with the 'Eyelet Border Punch'. The sentiment has been inked (using 'Tempting Turquoise' ink) and is from the lovely 'Vintage Vogue' stampset. The image is from the 'Every Little Bit' stampset (one of Jade's favourites, and one i had completely overlooked until now!) She stamped the cute little bird and birdcage (again using 'Tempting Turquoise' ink) onto 'Whisper White' cardstock. She coloured in the bird with a 'Daffodil Delight' 'Stampin' Write Marker', then punched it out with her '1-3/8" Circle Punch' and layered it onto a 'Tempting Turquoise' 'Scallop Circle'.

It's such a beautiful creation - i'm just about to start a new book and can't wait to use my new bookmark!!! Thank you Jade!

Thanks to my friends!!

As i mentioned in my post yesterday - i took part in the 'Step Under The Stars' event on Saturday night, completing a 10 mile midnight walk fundraising for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and i promised pictures!! So here's a pic of me and my sister before we set off:

and here is a pic of us after 10 miles of walking in the dark and pouring rain - completely relieved it was over, wearing our medals and looking forward to our beds!!



I just want to say thankyou so much to all my friends and family who sponsored me for this event - so far i have raised £165!!

The card today, fits in with this blog theme and was made by my upline Cate at a recent training event i went to:

A 'Rose Red' cardbase, with a strip of 'Early Espresso' card and some 'Subtles DSP'. Cate punched out four '1-1/4" Circles' out of 'Crumb Cake', 'Old Olive', 'Early Espresso' and 'Very Vanilla' cardstock. On the 'Very Vanilla' circle Cate stamped out the branch and flowers from the 'Tiny Tag' stampset. She used her 'Old Olive' and 'Rose Red' 'Stampin' Write Markers' to do this. The sentiment is also from the 'Tiny Tags' set. All finished off with a 'Basic Rhinestone' bling!!

Katie's Punch Art Pram!

Hi everyone! I hope you have had a great weekend. I usually like my weekends to be peaceful and restful - but that was not the case this weekend! Last night i participated (along with about another 650 women) a midnight 10 mile walk to raise money for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. I have a lot to thank the hospice for - they excellently cared for my grandad during his final year of suffering with cancer and still regularly check on my nan, offering her care and support. We managed to complete the walk in less than 4 hours - but very achy today - but it's all for a good cause! (I took some pics and will upload and share them with you tomorrow - hopefully!) Thankyou to everyone who sponsored me! It's not too late to offer some money to this fantastic cause - my Just Giving site is still active: http://www.justgiving.com/Bill-Voller )

Today i have a punch-art card to share with you - designed and created by my crafty friend Katie!

Katie used the '1-3/4"  Circle Punch' to create a pram out of 'So Saffron' cardstock and 'DSP', '1/2" Circle Punch' to create the pram wheels - out of 'Crumb Cake' with some brads in the centre and the '3/4" Circle Punch' to create a little baby (the detail has been added with a 'Stampin' Write Marker'!)Katie mounted this cute little pram onto a square of 'Whisper White' cardstock and stamped the little 'boo!' sentiment (from the 'Tiny Tags' stampset in the corner. She finally mounted this onto a 'Crumb Cake' cardbase!

Isn't it such a cute card! Perfect for baby shower invitations, baby arrival announcements, a pregnancy congratulations or safe arrival card!! and of course you can always change the colours and the sentiment to suit! Another clever and original way of using those circle punches!!

Hope you have a lovely Sunday night!! Teaching starts tomorrow so i will be trying to relax as much as possible tonight before the madness begins!!

Stampin' Up! Training - Make and Takes.

One of the great things about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is the opportunity to meet lots of people who have exactly the same interests as you! I'm part of a Stampin' Up! team and we all meet up regularly and share ideas with one another.

Our upline Cate hosts these meetings and they're lots of fun, she even organises some make and takes for us to do! You can't have a Stampin' Up! meeting without some crafting!!

So today i'm going to show you what we made! Here's the first project:

This card uses the current 'In Colours' - the cardbase is the lovely 'Pear Pizzazz'. Next we got a piece of 'Whisper White' and stamped it using the 'dots,dots,dots' stamp. We then punched this piece of card using the '1-3/4" Circle Punch' and placed that in the centre of the card. The butterflies have been created using the 'Big Shot', scraps of 'Pear Pizzazz', 'Blushing Bride' and 'Peach Parfait' and the 'Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die'. The sentiment is from the 'Party This Way' stampset and has been stamped onto a strip of 'Whisper White' card, which i have snipped into shape. We placed a couple of 'Basic Pearls' each side of the sentiment to give the card an extra special touch!!

The second project we made was this lovely 'Milk Carton':

Created with use of the 'Big Shot' and 'Milk Carton Die', we wrapped a piece of 'DSP' from the 'Brights Collection' around it. Next we stamped the flower from the 'Vintage Vogue' set, in 'Rose Red' and the friends sentiment (from the 'Just Believe' set) in 'Old Olive' ink and then punched it out using the 'Scallop Square Punch', all finished off with a 'Basic Rhinestone'.

Two lovely projects!! Would you like to have the opportunity to meet lots of new crafty people? Would you like to make a little income that funds your crafting habit? Why not become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator?! Email me: amyjtidd@gmail.com for details on how to join my team!!

Hope you have a great weekend - i'm doing a midnight walk in aid of Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice tonight. It's not too late to sponsor me, visit my Just Giving page HERE. Thankyou in advance!!

Happy Birthday Pippa!!

Today is my friend Pippa's birthday!! I work with Pippa and she is one of the most friendly, happy and caring people i know. Sadly i won't be able to attend her birthday party tomorrow night as i will be taking part in a midnight walk in aid of the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice (who cared for my Grandad most of last year - if you would like to sponsor me - my Just Giving sponsorship page can be found HERE.)

I made Pippa this card to wish her a very happy birthday:

A 'Pink Pirouette' cardbase, with some 'Sweet and Sour DSP' (which is retiring) mounted on some 'Rose Red Card'. The sentiment is from the 'Fun and Fast Notes' stampset (which is sadly retiring), i have punched this sentiment out with a 'Decorative Label Punch'. The butterfly is from the beautiful 'Strength and Hope' stampset (which featured in my blogpost yesterday) - this is stampset is also retiring and has been a charity set for Stampin' Up! this year - supporting the 'Breast Cancer Research Foundation'. I have blinged this card with some 'Basic Rhinestones'. I hope Pip likes this card and has an amazing birthday!!!

Be charitable: Last Chance to buy the Strength and Hope Stampset!!

All year Stampin' Up! has been selling the beautifully elegant 'Strength and Hope' stampset:

For every stampset sold Stampin' Up! will give £2 to 'The Breast Cancer Research Foundation'!! This stampset will sadly be retiring at the end of September (I'm sure Stampin' Up! will support another well deserving chairty for 2011-12 - watch this space for details.)

So why not put in an order for this beautiful stampset before its too late and you could make lovely projects like this 'Pillow Box':

The 'Pillow Box' has been created from some 'Bashful Blue' cardstock, which has been run through my 'Big Shot' using the 'Pillow Box Die'. Next i cut out a strip of 'Baja Breeze' cardstock, which i ran through the 'Big Shot' using the 'Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder' and then wrapped it around the 'Pillow Box' securing it in place with some 'Red Sticky Tape'. I punched out a 'Scallop Circle' from some 'Bashful Blue' and a '1-3/8" Circle' From 'Baja Breeze' and then stamped (in 'Bashful Blue') the butterfly from the 'Strength and Hope' set on 'Very Vanilla' card, carefully cut it out and layered it onto the punched shapes, raising it with a Stampin' Up! dimensional. Finally i placed a couple of 'Basic Rhinestones' on the centre of the butterfly!

Keep checking this blog - i have at least one more project this month that uses this stampset - i'm sure you will agree this stampset is a must have!!!

'So Many Thanks' is Retiring!!

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!

There is a new Stampin' Up! catalogue coming out on the 1st of October, which is very very exciting ... HOWEVER to make way for lovely brand new Stampin' Up! goodies, we are saying goodbye to some amazing stampsets and papers ... BUT we have had some warning - there is a retirement list - and some of the retired goods even have a discount on them! Check out the retirement and sale list at the top of my blog. You must have your order in by the 30th September - once they're gone, they're gone!

One of the stampsets that we will be saying goodbye to is the 'a la carte' stamp called 'So Many Thanks'.

This little stamp is so wonderfully versatile - you can very quickly make a batch of handmade thankyou cards - but it is going and will not be in the new catalogue - so if you want it you have to order it THIS MONTH!

You can make beautiful cards - just like this one:

This card was made by a lady called Fiona - who is a member of the Blue Angels team - she made this as her swap at our recent team training. The cardstock used in this design is 'Very Vanilla' and 'Basic Black. The flowers created here are from the fabulous 'Greenhouse Garden' stampset - if you like 2-step stamping you will LOVE this stampset!! (Tip: to layer these stamps up easily use a 'Stamp-a-ma-jig') She used 'Regal rose' and 'Basic Black' ink. She used the 'Scallop Trim Border' in this card. The central focal point of this card is the 'So Many Thanks' image, inked in 'Regal Rose' and mounted on 'Basic Black' cardstock. Fiona used some 'Dimensionals' to raise the 'So Many Thanks'. I think you'll agree it's a beautiful design!!

Would you like to learn how to two-step stamp? Why not book a workshop around your house - i will come around and teach you and your friends how to create beautiful cards like this!! Stampin' Up! have several two-step stampsets in the new catalogue (and Greenhouse Garden will be staying for another year!) So check them out!!

Double Trouble: You're Expecting Twins!

Wow! I keep mentioning this baby boom! It seems that everyone around me is expecting and one of my friends has just found out that she is expecting twins!! As soon as i found out i had to make a card to congratulate her and her hubby. Here it is:

A 'Bashful Blue' cardbase here, and i have used some 'Nursery Suite' paper - THIS PAPER IS RETIRING AT THE END OF THE MONTH so if you want it you will have to buy it by the end of September!! Get your skates on!

The babygrows are smaller versions of the onesie cards that i made a little while ago. I used a smaller piece of 'So Saffron' cardstock and the '1/2" Circle Punch' to create them, and used some 'Basic Pearls' to embellish them!

The congratulations sentiment is from the 'Fun and Fast Notes' stampset (also retiring can you believe it! This is a must buy, as it is such a versatile stampset) I have stamped it out using 'Bashful Blue' ink and have punched it out using the 'Decorative Label Punch'.

At this point she doesn't know whether she will be having boys, girls or one of both - so i have kept the colours neutral - you could of course make this design with just one babygrow, two or even three! Or alter the colours to suit the babies sex! So all in all, a very versatile project!

If you want to get your hands on any Stampin' Up! goodies that are retiring - your time is running out - they will not be available after the 30th September - so get your orders in NOW! The retirement and sale list can be found at the top of my blog - and i'm offering an additional incentive to order through the month of September for all Stampin' Up! customers!! Email your orders to amyjtidd@gmail.com

My First Crafty Boots Challenge: Anything Goes!

Hi everyone! Today is the day - the grand launch of 'Crafty Boots Challenge' blog! Stephanie-Emma the founder of Crafty Boots has worked very hard to get it up and running and i'd like to thank her for inviting me to be on the Design Team!! If you're visiting my blog from the Crafty boots Challenge then a big hello to you!!

Todays challenge is 'Anything Goes', a nice easy one to get you going - why not enter a masterpiece?! I can't wait to see and comment on all your work!

Here's my DT creation, a 'Springtime Vintage' CD case:

The CD case is made from 'Pretty in Pink' cardstock and i have layered some beautiful 'Springtime Vintage DSP' onto it. I have used my '1-1/4" Circle Punch' and '1-3/8" Circle Punch' to make easier access to the CD!

I have made a decorative belt around the CD Cover, out of a strip of 'Pretty in Pink' cardstock and a strip of 'Springtime Vintage'. The Flower has been made out of several 'Pretty in Pink' and 'Very Vanilla' 'Scallop Circles', which i have snipped and scrunched and then glued together to create this beautiful 3D effect. I have punched a '1/2" circle' out of the 'DSP' and glued this in the centre. Before gluing the flower in place i glued some 'Pear Pizzazz' 'Seaming Ribbon' underneath to create leaves! And there you go ... one very vintage looking CD cover.

I'm always popping pictures onto CD's for people as gifts, so this is a lovely way of making them a bit more special!

I'd love to know what you think, so please leave a comment and if you would like to order any Stampin' Up! products and have them delivered straight to your door then please drop me an email - i look after my customers well!! (There are online versions of the catalogues on the right-hand side of this blog - ALSO don't forget to check out the sale items!!)

PLEASE NOTE: this beautiful paper will be retiring from the catalogue at the end of this month - so if you want to get your hands on it - order it NOW!!

Mock Croc Technique (and tutorial!)

Hi everyone! Yesterday i went to a Stampin' Up! meeting with my team - the Blue Angels. There was 10 of us at the meeting at it was lovely to catch up with everyone and share ideas. Cate organised a couple of lovely make and take projects (which i will share with over the next week or so!) and we also did some swap projects. Basically we all made one project and produced it 10 times and swapped them with one another - which means i now have lots of lovely projects to share with all my CraftyThINKers!

Anyway i decided to do something a bit different for my swaps. I have seen the 'mock croc' technique online - it is basically a technique where you can 'alter' a simple piece of card creating it into a piece of faux leather (I'm therefore entering this into 'CupCake Craft Challenge', this weeks challenge is 'Alter It') that looks like this:

I have seen this technique used in several tutorials online and thought i'd give it a go to create some bookmarks for my swaps - the finished product looked like this:

Would you like to know how to create this effect? Well here you go - for the first time ever on my Crafty ThINKer blog i have created a step-by-step technique tutorial:

Step 1:

Start with a piece of cardstock and cut it to size - it can be any colour you like - in this tutorial i use 'Chocolate Chip'

Step 2:

Then dab your 'Versa Mark' (which can be found in the Stampin' Up catty) completely over your cardstock.

Step 3:

Next sprinkle 'Clear Embossing Powder' completely over your card!

Step 4:

Now use your 'Bone Folder' to squiggle lines through your clear embossed cardstock - don't think about it too much just do it nice and quickly!

Step 5:

Then use your 'Heat Tool', heat your 'Clear Embossing Powder' to create a shiny texture.

Final Product:

And you end up with a faux leather effect!!! Clever huh!

The bookmarks:

You can actually create 14 bookmarks from one piece of A4 card!! As i said before i used 'Chocolate Chip' cardstock. To create the toppers i stamped some tortoises from the 'Fox and Friends' stampset onto 'Very Vanilla' cardstock - using 'Soft Suede' and 'Wild Wasabi' 'Stampin' Write Markers'. I punched them out using a '1-3/8" Circle Punch' and mounted them on some 'Wild Wasabi' 'Scallop Circles'.

Here's a final close-up:

Sorry for the massively long post - hope you have found the tutorial useful - i would love to see any projects that you make using these techniques - please email me any pics of your crafty makes!!

Now... one final thing - tomorrow is the launch of the Crafty Boots Challenge Site - as you may know i'm a member of the design team! I'd love as many of you CraftyThINKers to get involved with the challenge! I'll be keeping an eye out for you all!!!